The Los Angeles City Council is set to decide whether voters will get the final say on a new tax aimed at boosting funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The proposal would place a half-cent sales tax on the November ballot. If Los Angeles voters approve the proposed LAFD half-cent sales tax in November, the sales tax rate for the City of Los Angeles would rise another 0.5 percentage point, from 10.25% to 10.75%, assuming no other changes occur.
That would put Los Angeles among the highest-taxed major cities in the nation. Supporters say the measure would generate at least $345 million annually for the LAFD. The money would be used to hire more firefighters and paramedics, buy equipment and vehicles, and repair or build fire stations. But that’s not the only tax proposal city leaders are considering. Los Angeles residents, who already pay among the highest sales taxes in the nation, could face as many as three additional tax measures on the November ballot.
All of this comes on top of Measure E-R, the countywide half-cent sales tax approved by voters in June. So here’s the bottom line: between Measure E-R and the proposals now under consideration at City Hall, Los Angeles voters could be asked to approve up to five separate tax increases in a single year.
